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can frozen mice go bad?

mickmarkus Feb 07, 2006 09:55 PM

My 4 year old corn has been refusing to eat for the last 3 weeks. I have never had any feeding problems with him in the past. Strangely, he is moving around the tank as though looking for prey, but will not take the mice I am giving him. In one case, he picked one up then dropped it. Could it be that my frozen mice have gone bad? They've been in the freezer for a couple of months. Thanks!

Replies (5)

phiber_optikx Feb 07, 2006 10:08 PM

yes they can/do go bad.
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"

xblackheart Feb 08, 2006 01:11 AM

From the posts that I have read, yes, they go bad after about 2-3 months. I did not catch if you stated the sex of the snake or not. I know some males (whether they have a female in the vicinity or not) eat less during the upcoming months, due to breeding season. Is the snake due for a shed, or anything? Try a fresh mouse and see if the freezer mice are the problem. Eliminate one problem at a time.
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------Misty-------
We have enough youth....How about a fountain of smart?

dewittg Feb 08, 2006 10:31 AM

>>From the posts that I have read, yes, they go bad after about 2-3 months. I did not catch if you stated the sex of the snake or not. I know some males (whether they have a female in the vicinity or not) eat less during the upcoming months, due to breeding season. Is the snake due for a shed, or anything? Try a fresh mouse and see if the freezer mice are the problem. Eliminate one problem at a time.
>>-----
>>------Misty-------

Two to three months is about the limit for frozen mice stored in baggies. They will, however, last much longer if vacuumed packed. Using a home vacuum sealer, I repackage frozen mice in quantities I'll use in no more than two months. Depending on who you talk to, vacuum packed frozen mice are good for up to 3 years. I'd probably draw the line after 18 months.

deg

adamjeffery Feb 08, 2006 03:15 PM

ive had mice start to go bad and you can tell by their appearance, they will have white dots and ice crystals on them, if they are old enough they might even have black holes forming on them(like when you find a bag you forgot you had!!). though it is not recommended by any means i have had to feed some bad mice to my snakes b4 and they had no problems accepting them. i must point out that i had no choice no pet store around had any live pinkies and i couldnt get any frozen in like 3 weeks so i had to feed them to my snakes IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED for reasons im not even sure of.
adam
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0.1.0 normal corn het hypo,anery
1.0.0 snow corn het hypo,anery,amel
1.0.0 amel corn unknown hets(4ft 8inch long)
1.0 sinacorn
0.0.2 snapping turtles
0.0.1 3 lined mud turtle
1.1 kenyan sand boas

mickmarkus Feb 08, 2006 04:55 PM

Thanks for all the input. I bought new mice and... no eat! This is strange for my snake, maybe it's a winter thing after all.

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